Internationalization of higher education is defined as: “the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of post-secondary education” (Knight, 2008) .

The Secretary of UGC in his letter dated 22^nd September 2022 has requested All Higher Educational Institutions and its affiliated colleges / institutions to adopt and implement the Internationalization as per the set guidelines.

UGC had issued Guidelines for Internationalisation of Higher Education in India on 29^th July 2021 which enumerates various strategies and initiatives and provide an excellent opportunity through a wide array of activities for global outreach of Indian Higher Education institutions. Internationalisation of higher education is an essential aspect of the National Education Policy 2020. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisages a new and forward-looking vision for India’s higher education system. It sets the foundation for the much-needed transformation and overhaul of the current education system through its focus on key issues like access, equity, multidisciplinarity, holistic and value-based education.

Internationalisation of higher education is an essential aspect of the National Education policy 2020. The need to internationalise certain aspects of higher education, while making all higher education relevant internationally has been a major area of focus. Internationalisation of higher education is the process of integrating an international and intercultural dimension in higher education. Opportunities to attract international students, academics and funding are growing and many Indian Higher Educational institutions (HEIs) are now committed to increase their international outreach. In order to facilitate the internationalisation of Indian HEIs, the University Grants Commission has framed the guidelines for admission and creation of supernumerary seats for international students.

Objectives (laid by the UGC)

1. To facilitate a smooth and simple admission of international students in higher educational institutions of India.
2. To create a favourable environment for attracting international students to Indian higher education system.
3. To make India a preferred destination for international students

GUIDELINES

1. Indian HEIs may admit international students based on the equivalence of entry qualification held by them. The equivalence is to be determined by the University Grants Commission (UGC) or any other body recognised by UGC for such purpose or the concerned regulatory bodies of the country. HEIs may adopt a transparent admission process for admitting the international students.
2. HEIs may create up to 25% supernumerary seats for international students, over and above of their total sanctioned enrolment for Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes. The decision regarding25% supernumerary seats has to be carried out by the concerned higher educational institutions as per specific guidelines/regulations issued by the regulatory bodies considering the infrastructure, faculty and other requirements.
3. The 25% of the supernumerary seats for international students will not include the international students under exchange programmes or/and through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between institutions or between Government of India and other countries.
4. Depending on the availability of infrastructure and qualified faculty, efforts should be made to distribute these 25% seats among all departments, schools, centres or any other academic unit of the higher educational institution. wherever possible.
5. The supernumerary seats shall be exclusively meant for the international students both in the Undergraduate and Post-graduate programmes. A seat remained unfilled in the supernumerary category, shall not be allocated to anyone other than an international student. International students in this context shall be defined as the one who shall possess a foreign passport.
6. The provision of creating supernumerary seats for international students should be formalized by way of approval of statutory body/bodies of the HEIs in accordance with the guidelines/regulations issued by the regulatory bodies from time to time.
7. The supernumerary seats in professional and technical institutes shall be governed by the respective statutory bodies.
8. Supernumerary seats for Ph.D. programmes shall be governed by the Regulations notified by the University Grants Commission from time to time in this regard.
9. All HEIs shall have an ‘Office for International Students’. Year-wise details, i.e., country, number, programme/subject, duration etc., regarding the international students in the HEI be maintained by it and be made available on their website.
10. All details regarding number of seats available for international students in each programme, fee prescribed for the same, admission process, eligibility conditions etc. shall be made available on the website of the HEI.
11. All existing rules/provisions notified by Government of India regarding visa/ Foreign Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) etc. shall be followed by the HEIs.

The Internationalization wing of Arya Vidyapeeth College (Autonomous) was constituted on 2/5/23 by the notification of the Principal of the Institution with Dr. Chhandashree Bhuyan HoD Zoology as the Co-ordinator. Later the members were incorporated. The general members are all the Heads of the Departments and the Core members are:

• Dr. Kamal Prasad Gautam
• Ms. Suli Yohana Ayemi
• Deboshree Bhattacharjee,
• Ms. Daisy Rani Hazarika

The immediate agenda of the Wing:

• To organize an online meet with Dr.Rita Kakati Shah. For this an online pilot G meet was held on 18/5/23 at 8.30pm IST vide the link that she generated (https://meet.google.com/fmw-erqz-zuo) to discuss on thrust areas that Arya Vidyapeeth College(A) aspires. Dr.Rita Kakati-Shah (Mathematics & Management, 2001) is a distinguished alumna of King’s College London. In 2016, Rita founded Uma, a network aiming to bring talented individuals back into the workforce following a career hiatus. She is the Founder and CEO of Uma, an international strategic consultancy and diversity, equity, and inclusion training platform that empowers confidence, inspires success, and builds resilience and leadership in women and minorities around the world. In January 2022, US President Joe Biden and AmeriCorps bestowed upon Rita a US Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award – the highest level of the President’s Volunteer Service Award – recognising her international mentoring and volunteering efforts to support young people, women and minorities of all ages.
• The Co-ordinator also has been in contact with Dr. Ramesh (Zimbo) Boonratana, Associate Professor (Conservation Biology)
• Regional Vice-Chair, IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group
• Editor-in-Chief, Asian Primates Journal
• Review Editor, Frontiers in Animal Conservation

This is regarding the Professor’s courses at Mahidol University, Thailand. The courses that he offers are

General education courses:

• ICGN128_BioD_Climate_Crises
• ICGN115_HumanEvolutionHealth
• ICGH123_Ecological_Justice
• ICNS115_Hominid_Evolution

Biology and Environment courses:

• ICEN469_Heritage_Conservation
• ICEN460_Ecotourism
• ICEN319_Conservation_Biology
• ICBI381_Evolutionary_Biology

Apart from the above two definite connections the team will also work on the prospects of association with South East Asian countries. The modalities will be worked on meticulously keeping in mind the opportunities and limitations of the Institute with scope for improvement by suggesting appropriate ideas. The whole working and progress will be based under the backdrop of the Indian subcontinent and under the purview of guidelines laid down by the UGC.

According to UGC, HEIs are encouraged to put necessary effort towards ‘internationalisation at home’ as discussed in these Guidelines without compromising the requirements of the Indian context. These encompasses

• Capacity building in internationalisation initiatives
• Collaborative communication between Indian and international faculty
• International dimension to curricula in the sciences, social sciences, and beyond to spark a deeper reflection about course content and effective pedagogy to promote better learning outcomes for all students.
• Other areas of strength in India such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), computer science, gaming should be tied up with internship and apprenticeship to make them attractive for foreign students.
• Quality residential facilities to students from abroad to ensure effective living conditions and learning environment to international students
• On-campus support to students from abroad to provide continuous and inclusive support to international students, designed to facilitate students’ social and academic success and focusing particularly on the transition processes.
• Integrating incoming international students with local communities including assigning faculty mentors, host families and student buddies.
• Friendly environment for incoming students to have a safe, positive, and holistic experience
• Offering local language courses and other bridge courses as needed
• Foster connections among domestic and international students and value the inputs of international students on campus
• Short-term non-degree niche courses to create global perception about our core competencies in Yoga/Philosophy / Ayurveda/Health/Sanskrit/ Vaastushastra/etc.
• Courses and programmes in subjects such as knowledge of India and its languages, arts, history, culture, and global context; global literacy
• Incorporate internationalisation objectives into the institution’s broader quality assurance processes for teaching and learning, community engagement and student satisfaction.

The institution will also adhere to the other areas put forward in the guidelines viz.,

• Credit Recognition under Twinning Arrangement
• Global Citizenship Approach
• ICT based Internationalisation
• Academic and Research Collaboration
• Brand Building Abroad
• Alumni Connect
• Establishment of an office for International Affairs after about 30 percent of agenda are accomplished

Note: The committee will keep updating the activities and plans.

A brief report by:

                               Dr. Chhandashree Bhuyan

                               Associate Professor and HoD, Zoology

                               And Co-ordinator of Internationalization Wing of   

                               Arya Vidyapeeth College (Autonomous)

                                          Dated: 19/5/23